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Here's the thing most parents don't know: "degree required" on a job posting almost never means legally required. It means a company added a filter to avoid defending their hiring in court, a direct result of a 1971 Supreme Court case called Griggs vs. Duke Power. Degrees became a litigation shield, not a job requirement.

And now that shield is crumbling. States across the country, red and blue, have stripped degree requirements from state jobs. Pennsylvania freed up 92% of state jobs. Massachusetts freed up 90%. Maryland saw a 41% increase in degree-free hires after making the change. The federal government just removed degree requirements for all federal IT managers.

And companies like Google, Apple, IBM, and Walmart have already dropped or are planning to drop bachelor's degree requirements entirely. The real number that matters: only about 14.8 million U.S. jobs legally require a degree, and 38% of those are just three roles: registered nurses, elementary school teachers, and high school teachers.

Teachers alone make up 25% of every legally gated job in America, and they earn 7% below the U.S. median. That is not a strong argument for the degree filter. The right move for your child is not to pick a major. It is to start with the life they want, figure out what they need from work, identify careers that fit those needs, and then find strategic entry level work.

Get hired first. If a credential is actually required and worth it, many companies will pay for it. That is exactly what happened with Quinn McLaren, who broke out of college, got hired as a real estate financial analyst at a Fortune 50 company, and had his employer fund his CPA credential.

The system rewards people who show up, apply anyway, and build real skills. Your child can be one of them.